Strawberry plant named ‘Yakima’

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a new and distinct strawberry variety designated as ‘Yakima’ (a.k.a. ‘109733’). ‘Yakima’ is distinguished by its higher percent of marketable fruit, conical fruit shape, thicker canopy and dark green foliage color.

Latin name of the genus and species: Fragaria x ananassa.

Varietal denomination: ‘Yakima’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct short-day strawberryvariety designated as ‘Yakima’ (a.k.a. ‘109733’).

‘Yakima’ (a.k.a. ‘109733’) is the result of a controlled-cross between afemale parent cultivar designated (‘Aida’, a.k.a. ‘106734’,) anunpatented, proprietary strawberry plant variety made by the inventorand a male parent cultivar designated ‘Lili’ (a.k.a. ‘101983’ or ‘Lily’,U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,849) and was first fruited in Watsonville, Calif.growing fields. Following selection and during testing, the plant wasoriginally designated ‘109733’ and subsequently named ‘Yakima’.

The new variety was asexually reproduced via runners (stolons) by theinventor at Watsonville, Calif. Asexual propagules from the originalsource have been tested in Watsonville growing fields and to a limitedextent, grower fields in high elevation. The properties of this varietywere found to be transmissible by such asexual reproduction. Thiscultivar is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generationsof asexual reproduction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs depict various characteristics of thecultivar as nearly true as possible to make color reproductions.

FIG. 1 shows ‘Yakima’ fruit.

FIG. 2 shows ‘Yakima’ fruit.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show ‘Yakima’ strawberry plants with fruit.

FIG. 4 shows flowers of ‘Yakima’ strawberry plant variety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new and distinctive strawberry cultivardesignated as ‘Yakima’. This cultivar is primarily adapted to theclimate and growing conditions of the central coast of California. Thisregion provides the necessary temperatures required for it to produce astrong vigorous plant and to remain in fruit production from Marchthrough October. The nearby Pacific Ocean provides the needed humidityand moderate day temperatures and evening chilling to maintain fruitquality for the production months.

‘Yakima’ (a.k.a. ‘109733’)

The following traits and photographs in combination distinguish thestrawberry variety ‘Yakima’ from known strawberry varieties. Inaddition, the new cultivar was confirmed to be a unique strawberrygermplasm when tested against the California Seed & Plant Lab, Inc.(Elverta, Calif.) database using Short Sequence Repeats (SSRs). Plantsfor the botanical measurements in the present application were grown asannuals. Any color references are made to The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The botanical measurementslisted in Table 1 were made and recorded during the month of June.

‘Yakima’ is distinguished from its paternal parent by the percent ofmarketable fruit (Table 2), for ‘Yakima’ percent marketable fruit istwenty percentile points greater than its paternal parent ‘Lili’ (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 25,849). ‘Yakima’ is distinguished from its maternalparent ‘Aida’ by the shape of its fruit. The fruit of ‘Yakima’ is mostlyconical, different from the longer somewhat flat wedge shape of thefruit of its parent ‘Aida’. ‘Yakima’ is similar to the strawberry plantnamed ‘Monterey’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,767), but possesses severaldistinguishing traits from Monterey. ‘Yakima’ is distinguished from‘Monterey’ by the thicker canopy of ‘Yakima’ and dark green foliagecolor of ‘Yakima’.

TABLE 1 Characteristic Type Characteristic Yakima General Plant Habitannual Plant Growth Habit upright Day length short-day Planting seasonFall Height 35 cm Width 36 cm Density of foliage medium Plant vigor highFreezing Quality moderate Rain/weather tolerance moderate to highHarvest Ease moderate Leaf Leaf Shape concave Terminal leaflet width 90mm Terminal leaflet length 100 mm Terminal leaflet length/width 1.11ratio Teeth per terminal leaflet 17 to 19 Shape of terminal leaflet baserounded Shape of terminal leaflet in concave to straight cross-sectionShape of terminal leaflet serrate to crenate margin Color of upper sideof leaflet RHS 136A Color of lower side of leaflet RHS 139C Leafblistering weak Leaf glossiness medium Leaf variegation absent Number ofleaflets 3 leaflets per leaf Leaf length 133 mm Leaf width 151 mmTerminal Leaflet margin revolute Terminal Leaflet shape OrbicularTerminal Leaflet shape of apex Rounded Limbs Petiole length 25.5 cmPetiole diameter 3.18 to 4.26 mm Petiole pubescence medium Petiole poseof hairs horizontal Petiole color RHS 145A Petiolule length 1.0 to 1.5cm Petiolule diameter 2.08 to 2.70 mm Stipule length 3.5 cm Stipulewidth 0.9 to 1.0 cm Stipule pubescence dense Stipule anthocyanin absentStipule color (color code) RHS 145C Pedicel color (color code) RHS 145AAttitude of hairs on peduncle horizontal to slightly and pedicel upwardsPeduncle length 19.5 cm Pedicel length 13.8 cm InflorescenceInflorescence position relative above to foliage Flower arrangement ofpetals touching Flower size medium Flower diameter 2.28 cm Petal shapeorbicular Petal apex rounded Petal margin entire Petal base shapeconcave Petal length 1.17 cm Petal width 1.15 cm Petal length/widthratio 1.02 Petal number per flower 5 to 7 Number of flowers 16 to 36Upper Petal color RHS 155D Lower Petal color RHS 155D Floral CalyxDiameter 4.08 cm Corolla diameter 2.28 cm Calyx diameter relative tolarger corolla Inner calyx Outer calyx and inner calyx are of equal sizeSepal shape elliptical Sepal apex shape acute Sepal margin entire Sepallength 1.93 cm Sepal width 0.61 cm Sepal number per flower 12 UpperSepal color RHS 137A Lower Sepal color RHS 137C Receptacle color RHS 4AFertility not tested Time of flowering (50% of May plants in bloom)Stigma shape rounded Stigma color RHS 4A Style length 5 mm Style colorRHS 4A Ovary color RHS 138D Stamen number 25 Stamen length 2.3 mm Anthershape dorsifixed Anther shape 1.39 mm Anther color RHS 6A Pollen amountscarce to moderate Pollen color RHS 163B Filament color RHS 145CFilament length 1.2 to 2.8 mm Fruit Fruiting truss length 6 to 17 cmFruiting truss diameter 1.4 mm Number of fruit per truss 1 to 5 Fruitlength 5.3 cm Fruit width 4.3 cm Fruit skin color RHS 45A Fruit fleshcolor excluding RHS 44A core Fruit core color RHS 41B Fruit length/widthratio 1.23 Fruit weight 33 g Relative fruit size medium to largePredominant fruit shape long conic and long wedge Shape differencebetween No shape difference primary & secondary fruits Width of bandwithout of narrow achenes Fruit glossiness strong Position of achenesbelow surface Achene color RHS 151D Achenes per fruit 340 Achene weight0.238 g Position of calyx even Fruit Calyx Diameter 5.5 cm Level ofadherence of calyx medium Color of calyx RHS 137C Pose of calyx segmentsreflexed Size of calyx in relation same to fruit Firmness of fleshmedium to firm Evenness of flesh color nearly even Fruit hollow length2.3 cm Fruit hollow width 1.4 cm Fruit hollow length/width ratio 1.64Hollow center absent to medium Sweetness 7 to 14 Brix pH 3.33 Texturewhen tasted fine to medium Time of flowering April through August Timeof fruit ripening May Harvest maturity (50% of June plants with ripefruit) Type of bearing short-day Grams of fruit per plant June: 721 gYield (lb per acre) June: 31,791 lb/acre Firmness medium to firm SurfaceTexture smooth Appearance Score (rating 4 scale 1 to 5; 5 = best)Storage longevity 5 to 10 days Cull rate: 1% Usable <10% Stolon Stolonnumber 1 to 3 Stolon length from crown to 22.4 cm first daughterPubescence density dense Intensity of anthocyanin absent colorationStolon color RHS N144D Disease Plant/fruit disease resistant to FusariumResistance wilt Pest resistance/susceptibility resistant to Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. fragariae; susceptible to Colletotrichum acutatum OtherPlant hardness zone USDA hardiness characteristics zone 9b Shippingquality and fruit The fruit of the Yakima market use strawberry plant issuitable for shipping and merchandising for distant commercial markets.Short-day designation Differentiation of new florescence is required fora prior period of vernalization. (short-day genotype)

TABLE 2 Strawberry fruit summary statistic means of yield, percentmarketable, flavor, firmness, figure and size during weeks 15 to 37 overyears; Watsonville, California. Mean Mean Mean fruit Mean Mean gramsfruit fruit height/width hardness in per clone height width (fHeight/Newtons (N) (μ grams/ Variety (fHeight) (fWidth) fWidth) (μ hardness)clone) Yakima 51.0304 40.2999 1.26626 8.79292 1622 Lili 40.2262 35.85401.12194 8.78205 1304 Mean Mean skin- Mean percent of resistance- MeanKilos/ market- Mean to-abrasion categorical acre able fruit sizecategorical flavor (μ kilos/ fruit (μ % in Grams (μ rating ratingVariety acre) Usable) frtSizeGrms) (μ skin-r) (μ flavor) Yakima 32,4430.905 31.39 2.13004 2.84304 Lili 26,089 0.797 29.95 2.09745 3.05084

The invention claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of strawberryplant named ‘Yakima’ substantially as shown and described herein.